Meet the Dean

Nicholas Harney, Dean, Faculty of Social Science

Nicholas Harney
Dean, Faculty of Social Science
Professor of Anthropology

Harney’s research interests include the social anthropology of urban life, migration studies, and critical perspectives on global processes with a focus on Italy and Canada. He is the author of numerous articles, book chapters and two books  Eh, Paesan!: Being Italian in Toronto (University of Toronto Press) and The Lucky Immigrant: The Public Life of Fortunato Rao (CITD, University of Toronto/MHSO). He has been awarded competitive national research grants in Canada (SSHRC) and Australia (ARC) about migration.

He has been Dean of Social Science at Western since August 2021.  Previously he served as Chair of Department of Anthropology and Sociology, and later, Associate Dean International in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Western Australia. More recently he was Chair of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology at the University of Windsor. Nick has taught undergraduates and graduates on four continents about migration and cities. Since 2012 Nick has been a Visiting Professor at the Università degli Studi di Trento’s Department of Sociology and Social Research and has over twenty-five years research focused on migration, urban space, and global processes.

Graduating magna cum laude in social anthropology from Harvard University, Harney earned his MA and PhD in social/cultural anthropology from the University of Toronto. He pursued postdoctoral studies as the Mariano A. Elia Chair in Italian Canadian Studies at York University.